What was your first job as a journalist?
Freelance, first article was for Eugene Weekly about wetland mitigation in Eugene's industrial district
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes.
How is social media changing news?
Lightning fast reaction to stories. Wholesale theft of intellectual property.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
TinTin
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Finding ways to explain to citizens things they need to know. And illegal aliens. In fact, everybody.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google, PubMed, Word, Firefox, Adobe Fireworks, Skype, Sonar, Academia.edu
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Barack Obama
Why did you become a journalist?
I was a musician, college dropout. During last year of belated bachelor's study, won 3 writing prizes; decided universe was nudging me.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes. Wrote opinion column.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Bacteria'R'Us, Environment Becomes Heredity, Hanford Nuclear Waste Cleanup Plant May Be Too Dangerous, Music on the Cusp
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Get a degree in accounting and then get a job in accounting.
When's the best time to pitch you?
After 9 a.m. Pacific time
